How computational methods are reshaping scholarly research
Presentation
On 4 September, the ENP-China project (IrAsia Research Institute) is organizing a one-day international workshop to address, question, and challenge the “Digital Humanities” movement. After almost two decades since its inception as an expression, it is time to place this whole concept in perspective. The workshop will start with a position paper by Cécile Armand and Christian Henriot to open a debate and introduce the presentations by a mixed group of scholars, at the intersection of computing science and humanities.
In the last decades, the Digital Humanities (DH) movement has swept the academic landscape in the United States, offering innovative intersections between digital tools and traditional humanities. More recently, in Europe and China, DH has become a new mantra. However, we argue that the real transformative power transcends the broad DH label, rooted in the depth and specificity of computational methodologies. By critically examining examples drawn from disciplines like history, literature, and sociology, we highlight how computational methods offer both macroscopic and microscopic insights, reshaping the very essence of research. The future beckons not a supersession of traditional methods, but a harmonious integration, championing methodological rigor and critical digital literacy.
Program & Access
The detailed program including the paper abstracts and the participants’ short biographies can be downloaded here.
The workshop will take place in-person at Le Cube building (room 201) and online (please register on Eventbrite)
Program
Christian Henriot & Cécile Armand, Aix-Marseille UniversityBeyond the Digital Humanities: A Position paper
Pierre Magistry, INALCO
Beyond the optimism around huge foundation models in machine learning
Shih-Pei Chen, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
Fenye by the Numbers: A Quantitative Analysis of Astrological Contents in Chinese Local Gazetteers
Baptiste Blouin, Aix-Marseille University
Bridging NLP and DH: Beyond metrics to meaning
Lena Henningsen, Freiburg University
Reading Practices in the People’s Republic of China: Digital Tools developed by the ReadChina Project
Christian Henriot, Aix-Marseille University
Eminent Chinese of the Shenbao: How to ‘read’ 50,525 newspaper articles
Jiang Jie, Shanghai Normal University
Origin, Genres, and Achievements: The Development of Digital History in Mainland China (2000-2023)
In the last decades, the Digital Humanities (DH) movement has swept the academic landscape in the United States, offering innovative intersections between digital tools and traditional humanities. More recently, in Europe and China, DH has become a new mantra. However, we argue that the real transformative power transcends the broad DH label, rooted in the depth and specificity of computational methodologies. By critically examining examples drawn from disciplines like history, literature, and sociology, we highlight how computational methods offer both macroscopic and microscopic insights, reshaping the very essence of research. The future beckons not a supersession of traditional methods, but a harmonious integration, championing methodological rigor and critical digital literacy.
